


He Became Her Rock

by KrysKrossZee



Series: A Little Less Noise Is A Treasure [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, Angst and Feels, Canon Death, Canon abuse of Harry, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Genderbending, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Not Canon Compliant, POV Fred Weasley, POV Male Character, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25634629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrysKrossZee/pseuds/KrysKrossZee
Summary: Fred knows he messed up with Tammy where Krum was concerned, but when Cedric dies during the final task, it's not Krum who is there for her.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Fred Weasley
Series: A Little Less Noise Is A Treasure [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808425
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37
Collections: KCAWS Rare Pair Fest 2020





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NicoDiAngeloLover7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicoDiAngeloLover7/gifts).



> This was not the fic that I set out to write for the Keep Calm and Write Something Rare Pair Fest, but it is the one that I ended up writing. I have become OBSESSED with Tammy Potter and her boyfriend Fred that I really couldn't say no to writing this when the plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> Thank you so much to ladyblackpotterpeveral for betaing this ever so quickly for me considering I was still writing with only 22 hours to the deadline!
> 
> And to Callie, I hope you enjoy this because I'm dedicating it to you!

The red flares. Those bloody red flares. As soon as he saw them erupting into the sky, he knew that something had gone terribly wrong, but when it was only Krum that was pulled from the maze and not Tammy, he had managed to relax ever so slightly. He was still on the edge of his seat, his eyes fixed on the maze. He could hear George speaking beside him, but whatever he was saying wasn’t important enough to break through his worry just then. Honestly, he could curse their past selves for wanting to enter this blasted competition themselves. He couldn’t imagine purposefully putting anyone through this stress now.

And then he saw her, kneeling over something on the ground in front of the grandstand. He couldn’t make out what the shape was, but as he took the stairs three at a time, that didn’t matter. But George had a hold of his upper arm as he reached the arena, holding him back from getting any closer for reasons he couldn’t understand.

People had been cheering when he’d left his seat and that had to mean that Tammy had won. Somehow she had defeated all odds and won a tournament meant for seventeen year olds when she herself was only fourteen.

They weren’t cheering now, he realised as he all but came crashing back down to earth. The stands were deafeningly silent now. It was so quiet that he no-one even dared breathe as his brain managed to figure out what it was that Tammy was bent over.

As if he needed further proof of what it was, a cry split the very air. “My boy!”

He didn't need to look around to know who the voice belonged to, and he felt George’s fingers tighten around his arm.

Cedric. Cedric’s body was there next to the girl who had his heart. He knew what it looked like but this was his Tammy. He tried to shake George off of him so that he could go to her, but before he could, she was being ushered away and out of their sight.

He watched her until she was out of sight, ignoring McGonagall who, along with the other teachers, was trying to get the students to go back up to the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

Fred kept his arms wrapped tightly around Tammy as they sat in the middle of his bed. He didn't know how he was meant to let her go. She hadn't stopped crying for hours and even though all she had wanted for him to do was hold him tightly, it didn't feel like enough. He couldn't even begin to understand what she had gone through, even though she had explained it to him. Cedric had died in front of her, and to add insult to injury, Voldemort was back. He was terrified, but more for Tammy than for himself.

If Voldemort was back then that meant that her life was in danger, and yet Dumbledore was still adamant that she had to return to her aunt and uncle's, somewhere that she definitely wasn't going to be safe. He didn't understand why she couldn't just come back with him to The Burrow where he could keep an eye on her, but unfortunately neither of them were adults so they couldn't call the shots.

He didn't think that he'd ever seen her like this before and he was certainly in no hurry to ever see her in this state again. She was trembling and she hadn't slept in a couple of days. He'd stayed up with her, only letting himself doze when he knew that George was close by and would be able to come to her aid if she needed him.

"Fred?" Tammy whispered. Her voice was hoarse, her throat must have been red raw from crying for so long.

"Yeah?" He whispered as he rubbed his hand down his back gently, hoping that she was at least feeling somewhat better but doubting that if she had any sense. Her impending doom, and the impending doom of the wizarding world, wasn't just going to go away overnight, that was for sure.

"I was never really with Krum."

The words that she chose were not at all what he had expected to hear. Honestly, he had pushed everything about Krum and his jealousy towards the Bulgarian Quidditch player out of his mind when Tammy had gone into the maze. He hadn't given it a second thought, especially not since it was him and not Krum who was sat holding Tammy now.

"You weren't?" Fred hummed, trying to keep himself from making too much of a big deal out of this revelation, but he'd be lying if he tried to tell anyone that his heart didn't skip a beat. Tammy was practically admitting that his suspicions that she had just been using Krum this whole time were in fact correct, but now was not the time to celebrate that fact.

"I wasn't." She said quietly before she paused for a moment before continuing. "Krum's been a good friend while you and I weren't talking, kept me company while Ron and Hermione have been... distracted… It helped that Krum was going through the same things as me, except for the fact that he signed up for all of this of course." She took in a deep breath. "Something happened to him in the maze though. Something... Something bad. He… he wasn't himself and he attacked me."

A frown spread across Fred's face but he managed to stop himself from getting overly angry. There was something about Tammy's voice that told him that getting defensive about what Krum had done wasn't going to help either of them in that moment so instead he remained silent and just held onto her a little bit more tightly, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

"He was himself again when we said goodbye. He couldn't remember anything that happened inside the maze." She continued, her voice shaking in a way that made Fred want to wrap her up and hide her away from the rest of the world, but they both knew that wasn't an option, even if hiding her, like her parents had tried to, made the most sense. He heard her take a deep breath as if she was gearing up to say something else, but no other words came as she just leaned back against him.

She seemed calmer now, at least. Calmer than she had over the last few days and that was something that he was definitely grateful for. He had done his best to be there for her, but there was only so much that he could do. He was only one boy, after all, and while Dumbledore had made the public announcement at the service for Cedric that Voldemort was back, Fred knew that there were always going to be people that wouldn't believe Tammy. He'd heard the ripplings of those who didn't even while they'd been sat there mourning the loss of one of their champions, he'd even heard the awful rumour that it had been Tammy herself who had killed someone they both considered a friend. It had taken all of Fred's strength not to jump at those particular idiots and cause a fight. If it weren't for Tammy needing him there in his dorm, then he knew that there was a solid chance that he  _ would _ have.

"Fred?" Tammy's voice snapped him back out of his thoughts which could have quite easily turned into him dozing off again.

"Mm?" He hummed as he blinked rapidly in an attempt to wake himself up properly again. His job was to be there for her so be there for her he was going to be.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she lifted his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his palm before she pulled away slightly so that she could move to lie down with her head on his lap.

"Why are you thanking me?" He asked slowly as he watched her, his fingers running through the ends of her hair. He was glad that she was actually starting to relax a little and that she looked as if she might even try to sleep for a little bit.

"I've been awful this year and you're still…" She trailed off as she gave a yawn before she continued, "You're still here."

Fred shook his head fondly at that. "Tams, I'm always going to be here for you." He told her as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He knew he'd been pretty awful over the course of the last few months himself, starting from when he'd told her that they could only be friends because she was his kid brother's best friend, because he didn't want to be the weirdo who was dating someone who was three years younger than him. Almost losing her had more put that into perspective though. He'd rather people talked shit about him than he had to live another day without her there in his arms.

"I'm never letting you go again, I hope you know that, Tammy." He whispered as he moved to lie down on the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he pulled her close to him. He couldn't let her go ever again. She was his everything.

"I do." She whispered, her voice full of sleep and almost unintelligible but he was glad that he could still hear her next words as clear as day. "I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered back as he pressed a kiss to the back of his head before he let his eyes close as well. He didn't let himself sleep, not right away. She needed him to hold her and watch over her. Once he was sure that she was asleep, then he would let himself drop off as well, but not until he was sure that she felt safe.


	3. Chapter 3

"When is she coming?" Fred asked his mother for what had to be the third time that day and the fiftieth time that week. He didn't understand why Tammy hadn't just come to the new order headquarters when they had at the start of the summer. He'd stayed quiet for the first week or so, figuring that there must be some logic behind the adults' plans, but as time had gone on, he had realised that they were all just winging it. This hadn't been at all comforting especially when he had been practically forbidden from sending Tammy letters. He'd tried sending letters but almost every single one had been intercepted by an Order member, driving him absolutely batty.

"I don't know, Fred." Molly sighed. It was the same answer that she gave him every damn time and it was starting to get on his nerves - probably in the same way that he was annoying her with his questions.

"This is ridiculous!" Fred exclaimed, his temper getting the better of him and while he instantly regretted it, he knew that it was better than him keeping his emotions pent up like that indefinitely. He had somehow managed to stop himself from swearing so he hoped that she appreciated that. "Tammy would be much safer here with us!"

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Fred, but it's not my call to make. We need to wait for Dumbledore's orders." Molly gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before Fred moved to wrap his arms around her instead and lean his forehead against her shoulder. He had never been so worried about another human being before and he wasn't sure how much longer he couldn go on without actually hearing from the girl he didn't know if he was allowed to call his girlfriend again or not.

"He better get his act together again soon." Fred muttered, closing his eyes for a moment as he allowed himself to take some comfort from his mother. He honestly thought that Dumbledore was losing the plot so he didn't really understand why everyone seemed to believe that he was leadership material. He didn't usually dare voice his concerns about the head teacher, especially not when he was fully aware that Tammy's whole life basically depended on what the old geezer did next, but when it was just him and his mum, or just him and George, there was very little that could stop him from being completely and totally honest.

"Have faith, Fred." Molly said softly as she rubbed his back before she pulled back to kiss his cheek and then turned back to the laundry that she had been ironing and folding.

Fred gave a small nod and let himself watch her for a moment as he calmed down before he went off to find George, hoping that his twin would be ready to test one of their latest inventions if only just to distract himself from worrying and driving himself even further into a hole. So far this had been one of the worst summers of his life and it really didn't help that they were in some stuffy old house rather than at the Burrow. He had wanted to be excited by the fact that the house was owned by a wanted crumb but all he could do was obsess over the fact that Tammy wasn't there with him.

"So?" Ginny was stood in the corridor with her hands on her hips in a way that reminded him of their mother.

"So…?" Fred repeated. He really wasn't in the mood for any of Ginny's jealous antics today. He got that she'd had a crush on Tammy for as long as they had known the girl, but Tammy had never shown any interest in the youngest Weasley - or any girl for that matter - so as far as he was concerned, Ginny needed to move on.

"What did Mum say?" Ginny asked, following Fred as he walked passed her along the corridor towards the stairs where he just managed to avoid tripping over the umbrella stand that he was pretty sure had it out for the entire Weasley family (and that was ignoring the portrait on the landing who screamed bloody murder every time that she saw any of his family).

"That you should keep your nose out of other people's business." Fred shot over his shoulder at her. He was far too frustrated to be able to tell her that there was still no news of any sort. He knew that she must be just as frustrated as he was though so when he got to the top of the stairs, he did stop with a sigh. "She's not coming today, Gin." He told her before he pushed open the door to the room he and George were staying in.

Ron and Hermione were sat practically intertwined on Fred's bed which made his stomach contract. Their relationship was a reminder of what he couldn't have with Tammy. He didn't even know how she was whereas Ron had been allowed to invite Hermione there from the day that they had arrived. It was infuriating and at this point it felt as though Ron was enjoying being able to rub having his girlfriend in such close proximity in Fred's face.

It did however appear that they had at least read his expression when he had entered the room and knew that it was better to not ask if there was any news about Tammy. Either that or they might have overheard him talking to Ginny, he supposed. They let him sit down on George's bed where he picked up the extendable ear that they had been working on over the course of that summer.

The others fell back into what Fred supposed was easy conversation for them but he was too annoyed at the way that things were unfolding to even be able to follow what they were saying. Honestly he just wanted to curl up and try to sleep but it wasn't even dinner time yet and he had the small issue of having to share his room with George. He tried to shrug his annoyances off as he worked on improving the design of the extendable ear. The plan was to have a prototype ready for them to use to spy on the next Order meeting and even though he was pretty sure that there was nothing they could say that this point that would make him feel better, he was still determined to meet that goal.


	4. Chapter 4

Fred heard her arrive before he even really knew that she was coming. He'd thought that something was up when half the Order had disappeared to go on some important mission earlier in the day, but he'd stopped asking when Tammy was coming a day or so ago. He had grown sick of his mum never having the answer that he needed to hear from her.

But that evening, he'd been lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling and wishing that he could at least sleep and ignore how his insides seemed to be swirling around to the point that he was feeling nauseous, when he'd heard the crash of someone falling over the umbrella stand in the hallway. His instincts told him that it was probably just Tonks but he allowed himself to get up and sneak down the stairs anyway.

He tried to move as quietly as possible. He didn't want to get in trouble for being out of bed or for trying to eavesdrop on private conversations, even though he was sure that they were all expecting him to be snooping around if it was in fact Tammy that had been the mission.

He made it to the bottom of the stairs and down the hallway without being spotted by anyone though. He wasn't quite sure how that had happened as he stood outside of the kitchen and listened through it to his mother fussing over Tammy. He could hear her telling the girl of his dreams that she'd once again lost too much weight and it had taken more strength than he'd even thought he had to stop himself from screaming about how they all knew about the abuse that Tammy suffered from at home and yet no-one did anything about it.

Somehow he managed to make himself wait outside the kitchen though he did end up hitting his head off the wall just to drown out the screaming voice inside his head.

Eventually he ended up zoning out with his head leaning against the wall and he didn't snap out of it until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Freddie?" It was his mum; she sounded every bit as tired and frustrated as he felt, but at least she didn't appear to be annoyed with him. "Go in and see her but then both of you need to get to bed." She said softly. Fred knew that she wanted to add 'separate beds' to that, but there was no way that he was going to be able to let Tammy out of his sight now and he was sure that his mum realised this.

Without saying a word, Fred headed into the kitchen where Tammy was sat with a plate of leftovers and looking the most exhausted that he had ever seen her. He wrapped his arms around her immediately and pressed a kiss to her temple. She tensed the moment that she was in his arms but she didn't pull away so Fred assumed that she was tense.

"Did they tell you?" She asked after a few moments during which she actually started to relax into his arms.

"No-one's told me anything except not to send you letters." Fred admitted, feeling the need to explain himself even though she hadn't asked him to.

"I…" Tammy sounded as if she was about to burst into tears so Fred sat on the chair next to her and pulled her onto his lap. "I might get expelled."

"For what?!" Fred asked, his voice resembling a yelp. He couldn't imagine Hogwarts without Tammy - nor could he imagine Tammy without Hogwarts. The two of them were synonymous in his mind.

"Underage magic." She muttered as she turned to hide her face against his chest. "There were dementors and I had to cast a patronus to save us. Dudley and me."

Fred pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "They can't expel you for defending yourself." He said quietly. As far as he was concerned, she was overreacting just a little bit, but he wasn't going to tell her that. She was clearly upset about it.

"I got a letter." She told him, her voice flat as she pulled back a little bit to look him straight in the eye. "Because this isn't my first offence, I have to attend a hearing."

"Tams, that's better than being outright expelled. That means you'll get a chance to explain your side. You'll get the chance to tell them that you were attacked." Fred said softly. She looked exhausted so he doubted logic and reasoning was what she wanted to hear at all.

"Yeah, I know." She gave a heavy sigh before she leaned her forehead against his shoulder. She was still the same Tammy as before, but somehow the girl that was on his lap seemed to be completely different at the same time. "I just… If I didn't have Hogwarts to go to, I don't know what I'd do." She whispered.

"You're always welcome at the Burrow, you know that." He promised her with another kiss to her head. He hated seeing her like this but other than reassuring her, he didn't know how to make her feel better.

"I know." She said quietly. He had a feeling that she didn't quite believe him, especially considering the fact that they weren't even at the Burrow in the first place, though he knew for a fact that she was definitely welcome here anytime she wanted as well. This was her godfather's house after all, though he wasn't sure if she was aware of that yet. She'd obviously been through enough today so that was maybe a surprise to save for the morning.

"Are you going to eat any more?" Fred asked after a few moments in which he just held her, wondering if she had started to doze off when she didn't say anything else for a while. He really wanted to make sure that she ate something, but forcing her to eat wouldn't help either of them either.

Tammy shook her head as she clung to him. "I just want to sleep and put today behind me." She mumbled, not releasing him at all.

Fred kissed her cheek before lifting her up in his arms, deciding just to leave the plate of food for Kreacher to clear away. That wasn't something that he did all that often but his priority today was Tammy. He carried up to bed, pausing for a moment as he debated whether he should take her to the bed that was waiting for her in Hermione and Ginny's room or to his own bed. His own bed won in the end, mainly because he knew that there was no chance that he was going to be able to leave her now.

"Fred? Is that-?"

Fred had to wave Ron off as he laid down on the bed with Tammy. Reunions could wait for the morning. Tammy was already half asleep and he intended to keep her calm so that they could all get some sorely needed sleep.

"In the morning." Fred whispered, giving his younger brother a smile through the darkness. He knew that Tammy was Ron's best friend, but sleep was far more important, especially when it sounded like Tammy had been having a hellish time.

He kissed Tammy's forehead gently and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him once he was sure that she was already in the land of nod.


	5. Chapter 5

Tammy hadn't said a word the morning of her hearing, but Fred could totally understand that. She was far too nervous about what might transpire that day and Fred couldn't blame her at all, but he had wished that she would have said something. He had chosen to go with her and his father to the ministry in the hopes of being able to offer her some support, only to be told that neither of them would actually be able to go into the hearing with her.

Fred had managed to keep his cool when they were told this but that didn't mean that he didn't punch the wall of his father's office - and end up having to get his dad to heal his hand. He paced the office for the remainder of the time that Tammy was gone. He knew that there was no way that they would be able to expel her for defending herself, he hated knowing that she was alone.

It hadn't been comforting to find out that Professor Dumbledore was there, but that wasn't something that he could talk to his dad about. He thought the world of Arthur Weasley, but he also knew that his dad was one of the people who was adamant that you should always trust Dumbledore. Honestly, Fred did wish that he could just blindly follow the old man, but he wasn't wired that way, especially not when it came to Tammy's wellbeing.

Tammy was shaken when the hearing came to its end but she was able to tell Fred that she had wasn't going to be expelled. Fred couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him. While this was the outcome that he had expected, he couldn't help but be a little worried that he was going to have to spend his last year at Hogwarts without his girl there by his side.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her close while she took several deep breaths before they managed to head back to Grimmauld Place. His mother had prepared a meal to celebrate Tammy's result, but as they sat at the incredibly long table, it was all too apparent to Fred that Tammy wasn't actually going to eat any of it. She was still worried about something, though Fred couldn't figure out what - except for the obvious that Voldemort was back and she had been labelled a liar by the press for stating that.

He didn't dare say anything in front of the others though and instead he let his family and friends celebrate Tammy's small victory while he made the effort not to watch her too closely. He wanted to celebrate anyway, which was why he helped himself to a pint of butterbeer and tried to kick back and relax. It had been a stressful few days but at least now they had received some good news.

* * *

"Fred?"

Fred woke to a soft familiar voice coming from the side of his bed. He blinked his eyes open, though he couldn't really see anything in the dark. He rolled over anyway and peeled back the covers so that Tammy could get into bed beside him.

"Hey Tams." He mumbled. He was half asleep but he always had time for her, no matter whether he was asleep or awake or whatever.

She hadn't slept in his bed since the first night that she has been with them at Grimmauld Place. He'd tried not to take that personally. He knew that it was a little weird to share a bed with someone while in the same room as your best friend - hell, he was in the same room as two of his brothers - but it wasn't as if they did anything other than sleep anyway.

She cuddled close as she got into the bed, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. "Thanks for coming today." She whispered in his ear.

Fred shook his head, waving her gratitude off. As far as he was concerned, if the tables were reversed, she would have been at his hearing without a second thought. "Any time, love." He told her softly as a yawn escaped him.

"Thanks for...for sticking by me." Tammy continued in a way that sounded almost defeated and he realised that what the papers had been saying about her might have been getting to her a little more than she had been letting on.

"Not taking thanks for that either." Fred told her as he moved to lean his head on her chest. He had a feeling that he was about to drop off to sleep again at any moment so his plan was to make sure that he was comfortable, while also trying to be there for her as best he could. "You're stuck with me no matter what." He told her.

Tammy was silent for a moment but he could feel her fingers running through his hair. He was kind of glad of the silence as it gave him a few moments in which he could collect his thoughts. What he'd said was the truth. He'd already lost her once and he wasn't going to lose her ever again.

"That goes for when we go back to school." He told her quietly, all too aware that he was starting to wake up now, but he supposed that would just mean that he could hold her for longer. "I don't care who knows. In fact I want everyone to know. You're my girl and that's how I want it to be." He told her, a small smile playing across her lips even though he knew that she couldn't see him.

"You want to tell people?" She asked slowly as if not quite believing him.

"Well, yeah. Though the important people have all kinda figured it out by now." He said with a low chuckle.

"The important people want you to shut up and go to sleep." He heard from Ron's bed which only made him laugh again but he was soon shut up by Tammy's lips pressed against his, which was an effective way of getting him to shut up, he had to give her that.

Slowly she pulled away and settled back down against him so he allowed his eyes to close again and eventually he managed to fall into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this fic! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! I have more planned for Tammy and Fred, but that will all have to wait.
> 
> Let me know if there are any particular pairings that you might want to see in this series. I have some ideas already, but let's screw with the canon some!


End file.
